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Good Garden Bugs

Can There be Good Bugs?

When you garden, it can be quite disconcerting to see bugs crawling all over your produce. EEK! Your first instinct would be to rush and grab the nearest thing to smash the creepy crawlies with or contact a professional to handle termite treatment phoenix az. However, not every bug present in a garden are bad for your crops. Some are quite helpful, whether you want them there or not, and can even protect your product of your green thumb from other harmful pests.

Now, you may think the opposite, but no, not every bug is qualified as a pest. The definition of a pest is something that is considered bad for something, or annoying, and sure, bugs are annoying, but some are worth the effort to keep in your garden. What is a good bug? Well, one that targets the bad ones and leaves your plant babies alone could be one. It can be quite hard to find what bugs are the best for your garden, and not the ones that are harmful. Here is a breakdown of the two most helpful bugs to watch out for in your garden.

The Ladybug

We are starting this list off with a bug that is quite well known, whether you have seen one with your own eyes or seen them on any type of product out there, the ladybug is a bug that you associate to be sweet and kind. Why else are they put into children’s nurseries and illustrated books? Ladybugs are just that. Ladybugs consume aphids, a tiny bug that feeds on the sap in your plants. Aphids are fast reproducers, and one bug can impregnate itself and produce thousands of larvae. This is where the sweet old lady bug comes into play. Both larvae and adult ladybugs devour these little green pests, saving your plants from the tragedy of losing their sap, saving you from the long run of destruction to your crops. Ladybugs don’t just feed on aphids, but any small pest that may be looming in your garden, waiting to pounce, and their favorite meals include but are not limited to: spider mites, mealybugs, whiteflies, and many other types of almost microscopic creepy crawlies.

The Braconid Wasp

Now here is a vastly popular pest controller. The Braconid Wasp is so good at their job that they are used primarily in agriculture. The adults of this species of parasitoid wasps, or wasps whose larvae serve as parasites to their hosts, slowly killing its victims, will eat other types of adult bugs that are looking to take over your garden. The prized possession of this species, however, is the ever effective larvae, whose parasitic tendencies really do a number on any pests looking to invade an affected area. Their favorite bugs to infect the larvae of are: aphids, certain types of moth, beetles, and many other bugs.